Speed-controller for sewing-machines.



No. 821,129. PATENTED MAY 22, 19.06. H. R. SCHWEINLER.

SPEED CONTROLLER EUR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1905.

Z SHEETS-SHBET l.

sms! www www No. 821,129. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906. H. R. SGHWEINLER.

SPEED CONTROLLER POR SEWING MACHINES. APPLIQATION FILED MAM. 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

wit/1211000 c o UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AHENRY R. SCHWEINLER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY

DIRECT ANDv MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO W. T. MACON, ADMINISTRA- TOR OF JACOB H. MACON, JR.,

AND FRANK M. SIMONTON.

DECEASED, OF TAMPA, FLORIDA,

i Specification of Letters Patent.v

Patented may 22, 190e.

- Appiioation fiied May 4,1905. saai No. 258.776.

To all whom/it myconcern:

Be it known that I, HENRY R. ScHwEIN-,

LER, a citizen of the United States, residin at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings an State of New York, have invented a new and useful Speed-Controller for Sewing-Machines7 &c., of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in speed-controllers for sewing-machines, &c.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofvdevices for controlling speed andto provide a simple, inexpensive, and eHicient speed-controller designed for use on sewing-machines and light f machines and capable of enabling the speed of such machines to be controlled and varied as desired.

A further object of the invention is' to' provide a speed-controller of this character having a continuously-,operating adjustable motor and a shiftable wheel, both the motor and the shiftable wheelv being adapted to vary the speed and the shiftable wheel being also adapted when released by the operator to automatically throw out of operation the sewing-machine or other machine driven by the `speed-controller.

With these and other objects in view the inventionv consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts y hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in` the claims hereto appended, it being under-j stood 'that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scopeof the claims may be resorted to [without ydeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages o the in- 1 vention'.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa side elevation, partly, 1 11 section,v of a -speed-controller constructed in accord-ancewith this invention.` f Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 1sv an end elevation of the speed-controller.

Fig; 4 isatransverse sectional view taken Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, illustrating the means for moving the sl'iitable wheel.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all .the figures of the drawings.,

-1 designates a frame designed to be secured to the lower face of the table or top '2 of a sewing-machine frame and provided with upwardly-extending arms 3 and 4, arranged in pairs and spacing the body portion of the frame 1 from the table or top 2. The body portion of the frame 1 is horizontal, and depending therefrom is a pair of bearing-brackets 5 and 6, locatedat one end of the frame 1 andat an intermediate point o n the same and secured to the frame by screws or other suitable fastening devices; but the bearingbrack'ets 5 and 6 lmay be made rigid with the frame 1 in any other desired manner.

Journaled in suitable bearings of the depending brackets or arms 5 and 6 is a horizontal driven shaft 7 of transmitting mechanismior mechanism for transmitting motion from the gear to the machine to be operated,

and the said shaft is arran ed above and in parallelism with the upper ace of a horizontal friction-wheel 8 and has'inounted on it a shiftable wheel 9, adapted to be moved by' the means hereinafter described outwardly v and inwardly relative to thehorizont'al friction-wheel 8 for varying the speed of the driven shaft 7. The driven shaft 7 is provided with ,a longitudinal groove, and the shiftable wheel is slidably interlockedwith the shaft 7 by means of a key 10 or the like.

yThe horizontal friction-wheel is mounted on a vertical spindle 1 1 of the depending arm or bracket 6, and it has a hub or extension 12 at its lower face, which is provided with'a ballbearing for reducing to a minimum the riction resulting from the end thrust of the hub or extension 12. The upper end ofthe spindle is threaded into a suitable socket of the deending arm or'bearingv6,`and its loweryend is'threaded for the reception of a nut 13, a

washer 14 being inter osed between the nut and the lower end of t e hub or-eXtension 12.

The horizontal friction-gear is provided at or near its center with an annular recess 15, adapted to receive the shiftablewheel 9, as indicated in Fig. 1. of the drawings, whereby the transmission of motion from the horizontal gear 8 to the driven shaft 7 is interrupted and the sewing-machine is thrown out of operation. The shiftable wheel is adapted to be moved outwardly from the recess 15 by foot-power, and as soon as it is released by .the operator it is automatically returned to its position above the recess 15 by a coiled spring 16. The shiftable wheel is provided with a hub or extension having an annular groove 17 and adapted to receive a forked shifting arm 18 of a slide 19. The slide 19 consists of a sleeve arranged on a guide-rod 2() and connected with a suitable treadle (not shown) by a flexible cord 21, which passes over a guide pulley or wheel 22, located at the outer end of the guide-rod 2() and mounted on a suitable shaft or spindle, preferably carried by the outer bearing-bracket 5. The guide-rod is su ported by depending arms or brackets 5 ant 6, and the slidable sleeve 19 is also connected with the spring 16, which is secured to a pin or projectlon 23, which vdepends from the frame 1. By this construction the iieXible connection 21 is adapted to be o erated to move the shiftable wheel outwar ly, and the spring is adapted to move the shiftable wheel inwardly as the fiexible connection is released. The desired speed may thus be obtained from the Ahorizontal gear. The outer end of the driven shaft 7 carries a grooved pulley 24, which receives a suitable belt 25 for operating the sewing-machine or other machine to which the speedcontroller is applied. The belt 25, whlch is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, has its front stretch held out of engagement with the mechanism of the sewing-machine by an adjustable idler or guide-pulley 26, mounted on the stub-shaft 27 of an adjustable sleeve 28. The sleeve 28 is arranged to slide on a transverselydisposed outwardly-projecting arm or pin 29 and is secured in its adjustment by a clamping-screw 30, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

l?l`he shiftable wheel is designed to be constructed of fiber, rubber, rawhide, or other suitable material, and motion is communicated to the horizontal gear by means of a drive-wheel 31, designed to be constructed of rubber, rawhide, or the like, similar to the shiftable wheel. The drive-wheel is mounted'on the drive-shaft 31PL of an adjustable motor 32, which is preferably electric, but which may be of any other preferred type. The motor-casing is provided at opposite sides with projecting portions or lugs 33, having openings for the reception of horizontal guide-rods 34, located at opposite sides of the frame 1, as clearly shown in Fi 2 of the drawings, and secured at their encs to suitable lugs or rojections 35 and 36. The motor is slidable mwardly and outwardly on the guides to carry the drive-Wheel radially of the horizontal friction-wheel 8 for arranging the drive-wheel the desired distance from the center of the gear 8 to secure approximately the desired speed. The motor 1s adjusted b means of a screw 36a, provided with a han wheel 37, and swiveled at one end to a yoke 38, and engaging at its opposite end a thread- .ed opening 39 of a fixed projection or arm 40 of the frame 1, whereby when the screw is rotated the motor will be moved inwardly or outwardly, according to the direction of the rotation of the screw. The yoke consists of a transverse portion and sides, which are secured by screws 41 or other suitablefasten'- ing devices to the lugs or enlargements of the motor-casing 32, and which are provided with projections 42 to fit against the lugs or enlargements 33, as vclearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. By this construction the yoke is rigidly connected to the motorcasing. The transverse portion of the yoke 38 is provided with a centrally-arranged depending ear 43 to receive the swiveled end of the shaft. The shaft, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, is preferably provided with a head for engaging the outer face of the ear 43, and the hand-wheel, which is secured to the shaft by a suitable fastening device 44, engages the inner face of the ear 43.

The motor may be continuously operated while the sewing-machine is in use, and it does not have to be stopped each time the sewing-machine is stopped, as the sto of the latter is effected by the automatical y-operating coiled spring, which carries the shiftable wheel to the groove or recess of the friction-gear. It is only necessary to start the motor when it is desired to use the sewing-machine and sto the motor when one is through with the mac ine. By means of the adjustable motor and the shiftable Wheel a large variety of speeds may be obtained for adapting a sewing-machine or other machine to the particular character of the work to be performed. j

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a sewing-machine frame, a horizontal supporting-frame located beneath the top of the sewing-machine frame and provided with upwardly-extending arms securedto the said to ,a horizontal gear, an adjustable motor sli ably hung from the horizontal supporting-frame and having a driving-wheel engaging the horizontal gear, said motor being movable to carry the drivingwheel toward and from the center of the driving-gear, and means for transmitting motion from the gear to the sewing-machine.

2. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a horizontal frame provided' IOO for transmitting motion from the gear to the machine to be operated.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a horizontal frame provided with upwardly-extending arms adapted to be secured to the frame of a machine, said hori-" zontal frame being also provided with depending lugs, la gear, guide-rods suprported by the said lugs and spaced from the ame, a motor provided at the top with`lugs slidably arranged on the guide-rods, whereby the motor is hung from the horizontal frame, said motor being also provided with a drive-wheel movable toward and from the center of ther grear, and means for transmitting motion om the gear to the machine to be o erated.

4. In a device of the class descri ed, the combination with a horizontal frame, a horizontal gear, and a motor slidably hung from the frame and provided with a Idrive-wheel movable toward and from the center of the gear, of a bracket depending from the frame and havinga threaded opening, an adjustingscrew connected with the motor and engaging the threaded opening of the bracket, and means for transmitting motion from the gear to the machine to be o erated. v

5; In a device of t e class described, th combination of a yframe having opposite guides, amotor provided at the upper por-J tion with lugs slidable on the guides, said motor being also provided With a *drive-wheel,l

a gear, a bracket located above the gear and depending from the frame and having a threaded opening, a yoke secured to one of the lugs of the motor, an adjusting-screw swiveled to the yoke and engaging the thread-1 ed opening of the bracket for moving the drive-wheel toward and from the center of the gear, and means for transmitting motion from the gear to the machine to be oI erated.

6. In a device .ofA the class descri ed, the combination of a frame, inner and outer bearing-brackets depending from the frame, a gear supported by the inner -bearingbracket, a shaft'mounted on and extending -across the space between the bearing-brackets, a shiftable wheel mounted on the shaft and movable towardand from the center of the gear, a guide-rod also supported by and extending across the space between the bearing-brackets, a slide mounted on the guiderod and connected with the shiftable wheel, and means for operating the slide. p,

7. In a device ofthe class described, the

combination of a frame, inner and outer bearing-brackets depending from the frame,

a gear supported by the inner bearingbracket, a shaft mounted on and extending across the space between the bearing-brackets, a shiftable wheel mounted on the shaft and movable toward and from the center of the gear, a guide-rod also supported by and extending across the space between the bearing-brackets, a slide mounted on v 'the guide-rod and connected with the shiftable wheel, and means for operating the slide, said means embodying a guide-pulley located at the outer bearing-bracket, and a flexible connection arranged-on the guide-pulley and connected to the slide.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame, inner and outer bearing-brackets depending from the frame, a gear supported by the inner bearing-bracket,

a shaft mounted on and extending across the space between the bearing-brackets, a shiftable wheel mounted on the shaft and movable towardand from the center of the gear,

a guide-rod also supported by and extending across the space between the bearing-brackets,'a slide mounted on the guide-rod and connected with the v shiftable wheel, andY means for operating the slide, said means embodying a guide-pulley located at the outer l bearing-bracket, a iexible connection connected with the guide for moving the same outward, and a spring connected with the slide for moving the same inward.

9. In adevice of the class described, the combination of a frame provided at one end with horizontal guide-rods, inner and outer f bearing-brackets located at the opposite end' of the frame, -a motor hung from and slidable on the guide-rods and having a drive-wheel,

a horizontal gear supported by the inner bear-3 e ing-bracket and receiving the drive-wheel, a shaft extending across the s ace between and supported by thc bearingrackets, a shiftable wheel slidable on theshaft and arranged to engage the gear, a guide-rod also supported by the bearing-brackets, .a slide mounted ,on the guide-rod 'and connected with the shiftable wheel, means for operatingthe slide, and operating mechanismlocated above the gear and arranged between the inner bearing- IIO bracket and the motor for adjusting the latter to move the drive-wheel 41toward and from the center of the gear.-

, 10. In a device of the class described, the combination with a gear, of a drive-wheel engaging thegear, means for moving the drive-wheel toward and from thecenter of IIS the gearfor varying the speed of they same, l

the' sameha shaft, a shiftable wheel thereon for engaging the said gear, a pulley carried guide-pulley, and guiding means for the 1o by the shaft, and an adjustable guide-pulley slide.

moved inwardly and outwardly. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 12. In a device of the class described, the my own l have hereto ai'lxed my signature comblnatlon of a gear means for rotating the m the presence of two wltnesses.

same, a shaft, a shiftable wheel thereon for HENRY R. SCHl/VEINLER. engaging the said gear, a pulley carried by l W'tnCSSeS: the shaft, an adjustable guide-pulley moved PETER C. LENZ,

inwardly and outwardly, a slide carrying the JOSEPH J. ROBINSON. 

